2024 BMW 2 Series

With so many BMW SUVs on the road, you’ll be forgiven for thinking that the company specializes in big vehicles. That’s one area of expertise certainly, but BMW can also do small. It has a history dating back even before the first-ever 3 Series of making superb little cars that were great fun to drive. The 2024 2 Series is a continuation of this approach brought up to date.

Driving fun can come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The 2 Series is the smallest BMW and the most affordable. Yet its talents become abundantly clear behind the wheel. These subcompact dimensions mean a relatively light car as well as one that changes direction with remarkable ease. Meanwhile, the company’s usual high quality and technology are still present.

The small sizes of both the 4-door Gran Coupe and the 2-door Coupe result in narrow appeal. But those people who’ll find one suitable are lucky indeed.

There are no major changes this year. The Coupe was all-new for 2022 and the Gran Coupe debuted for 2020.

Other thrilling subcompact cars include the Acura Integra from $31.5K, but it’s exclusively front-wheel-drive. The Audi A3 begins at $35.4K (with the S3 starting at $47K), and the Mercedes-Benz CLA is priced from $42K. A Mini Hardtop John Cooper Works comes in at $35.4K. Should it pan out that a 2 Series is too small, the compact BMW 3 Series starts at $44.5K.

Before buying a new 2 Series subcompact luxury car, check the Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price to know what you should be paying. Resale values are respectable, slotting in between the CLA and A3.

The 228i Gran Coupe has, appropriately enough, 228 horsepower — supplied by a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine. This variant, with either front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive, tends to be popular among buyers. It’s a decent amount of power for a subcompact car and can dispatch the sprint from a standstill to 60 mph in a pleasant 6.3 seconds. That’s about the same as an Audi A3 or Mercedes-Benz CLA 250.

The thing about any 2 Series is that it’s poised and nimble as if it was made especially for canyon roads, with quick steering and confidence-inspiring brakes. We also found the ride quality of the Gran Coupe to be surprisingly pliant.

The Coupes (rather than the Gran Coupes) have either rear- or all-wheel drive. This will make a bigger difference on a track — but on public roads at sensible speeds, either model can be hugely enjoyable. We also noticed tangible differences between the driving modes. And yes, we decided to keep the cars in Sport mode for the sharpened responses.

The thrills build with the more powerful engines. BMW adds an adaptive M Sport suspension to the M240i Coupe, and this model is a great enthusiast’s choice if they can’t or won’t stretch to the M2. It will reach 60 mph in a brief 4.1 seconds, about the same as the manual-transmission M2 — the auto M2 does it in 3.9 seconds.

The 2024 M2 is an awesome machine, with 458 horsepower erupting under that little hood. Admittedly, the Audi RS 3 has 500 horsepower(!) and hits 60 mph in just 3.6 seconds, but we love the precision and balance of this rear-drive M2. These two cars are different enough to have their own appeal.

We’ve spent hundreds of hours driving and researching this generation of subcompact luxury cars, including the 2 Series.

Fuel Economy

The front-drive version of the 228i Gran Coupe achieves 28 combined mpg (24 city, 34 highway). With all-wheel drive, it’s 27 mpg (23 city, 33 highway). For comparison, the A3 returns 32 combined mpg but has less power. And the CLA 250 manages 29 combined mpg.

The 230i Coupe has more power but better mileage: 30 combined mpg (26 city, 35 highway) or 28 combined mpg (25 city, 33 highway) with all-wheel drive.

The M235i xDrive Gran Coupe runs to 27 combined mpg (24 city, 33 highway), while the M240i Coupe achieves 26 combined mpg regardless of the number of driven wheels.

For anyone who may care, the potent M2 manages 19 combined mpg (16 city, 24 highway).

As the most affordable new BMW, the 2024 2 Series still has an upscale cabin with quality materials and a well-considered layout. Space up front is fine. The seats are comfortable, bringing plenty of support for the sides and under the thighs.

There are four seats in the Coupe and five in the Gran Coupe if you count that little middle seat in the back. The Coupe’s 35 inches of rear legroom is an advantage of only about half an inch over the Gran Coupe. However, that’s still not a lot for an adult of average size, and rear headroom in both models is limited.

The Gran Coupe has a luggage area of 15.2 cubic feet, and its 40/20/40-split folding rear seats enable some cargo-carrying versatility. The Coupe also has 40/20/40 rear seats, but its trunk space is just 10 cubic feet.

Big grilles only work on big cars, if they work at all. The 2 Series is small, and BMW has decided against anything radical here, adopting a mature and fairly conservative look instead. The Gran Coupe is a 4-door model; the Coupe is a proper coupe with two doors and that more classic profile of a (relatively) long nose and short tail. For what it’s worth, we like them both.

The M2 has its own specific look, which we find captivating. Seriously. That kind of squared-off treatment to the grille and front air intakes is like nothing else. The M2 is also eligible for a roof made of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic, shaving weight and lowering the car’s center of gravity.

Engines
Although BMW makes some great 6-cylinder and 8-cylinder engines, even the 4-cylinder units deliver their goods in a pleasing manner. The ones in the 2024 2 Series seem to have a little more muscle than their stated specifications (BMW tends to do that).

Live Cockpit Plus
This standard feature includes a configurable driver information display and an infotainment touchscreen for other functions — all in one curved unit. It brings a great high-tech feel to the cabin.

Performance Control
Torque vectoring is also on board. The outside rear wheel goes around a bend faster than its counterpart on the inside, making cornering as efficient and stable as possible. It’s standard across the 2 Series range.

Premium package
This options bundle brings cool stuff like adaptive LED headlights, a head-up display, ambient cabin lighting, keyless entry, and a heated steering wheel.

Harman Kardon audio
It’s an $875 option, but this excellent surround-sound system provides aural enjoyment when it’s not possible to click the 2 Series into Sport mode, rev the engine, and listen to the exhaust noise.

M Driver’s package
This is an option with the M2 and one well worth considering. It’s a day’s tuition in high-performance driving on a track.

The 4-door 2024 228i Gran Coupe models have a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine, making 228 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. Front-wheel drive is the setup in the base version, and all-wheel drive is in the xDrive variant.

Another turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine is in the 2024 M235i xDrive Gran Coupe. This one generates 302 horsepower and 331 lb-ft of torque, which drives all four wheels.

The 2-door 2024 230i Coupe employs a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine, making 255 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque. This goes to the rear wheels. Unless it’s a 230i xDrive Coupe, in which case there’s an all-wheel drive system.

A turbocharged 3.0-liter 6-cylinder engine propels the 2024 M240i with 382 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque going to either the rear wheels or all four if there’s an xDrive suffix.

All the above have 8-speed automatic transmissions. The M2 offers a 6-speed manual transmission or an 8-speed automatic at no extra cost.

The engine in the 2024 M2 is another turbocharged 3.0-liter 6-cylinder. In this application, it develops 453 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque, a massive amount of power for such a small car. This goes solely to the rear wheels; there’s no option for all-wheel drive.

4-Year/50,000-Mile Warranty

BMW’s new vehicle and powertrain warranties last four years or 50,000 miles, whichever happens first. This is typical for European luxury car makers. Roadside assistance is included for that period, but with unlimited mileage. Scheduled maintenance is free for three years or 36,000 miles, which is less typical.

Safety Ratings

This 2 Series Gran Coupe generation has been named a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Standard safety equipment includes forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking and blind-spot monitoring.